A year ago, under a gentle rain inside Sanibel's Ding Darling Preserve fished this solitary heron in a roadside waterway that if you drive-by too fast, you'll miss. Raindrops kept falling on his head and mine, but that's where I wanted to be, loving every minute. Basic editing with LR, PS, and Nik software. Thank you for taking a look.
time of day,
Canon EOS 1D Mk II
f/5.6 1/200 ISO 200
EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x
Focal Length 533 mm
Flash Type Did not fire
Tripod Used
75% of Original
Sharp with a good EXP and basic image design. Love the look at the feet. From the car? I love the look and the mood but the head turned so far away from the body-line leaves a lot to be desired. To increase the drama in images like this, consider cleaning up the light stuff in the water.
with love, artie
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Lighting and exposure very nice. You did well at this shutter speed, but the slightest movement would have caused blur, so might consider pushing up the ISO a bit to allow a higher shutter speed. Those darn birds have a tendency to move quickly at times!
Agree with Artie re: head angle. Generally the image is more engaging if the head is turned a bit towards the camera.
I really like the mood here.
Very dark, tranquil and funnily enough, I am OK with the head angle. Bird looks pensive to me and just doing its own thing!
Thank you, good people, for such thoughtful responses. If you stare into the bird, his head position adds a pensive, staring off into the unknown appearance, almost like daydreaming. I'm a dreamer, too! Tried all different exposures. He was so still—lost in thought—using a tripod I could get away with that slow shutter, which I believe improved tonality? Thank you, again! Dave Harwood
Beautiful bird with excellent feather layers. Great colours, sharp details. I love the dark background. I agree with Artie about the white stuff in the water, particularly around the legs and the faint one at the tip of the bill. I that head angle I do wish it had swung over its backside more towards us. I a higher ISO would not have given you lesser tonality, but would have given you a higher shutter speed in case of sudden action.